New Kenwood head unit fitted- Now van won’t start!

[Salty85]

Good evening all. Hoping people might be able to shed some light on an issue I have. Installed a new Kenwood DMX8020DABS today and was super pleased with it’s features and it all seemed to work fine. However… I tried to start the van to nip out this evening and it wouldn’t start. Worryingly, the mfd was flickering away and threw up a message about brakes needing to be checked and to go to a workshop. Most warning lights were on and the dash cluster beeped away at me and the van was having none of it. I have checked the fuses under the dash and under the bonnet and all seem ok.

Any ideas? I’ve come away from it as I’ve spent the last couple of hours pulling my hair out!

 

[Pete C]

What is your vehicle battery voltage ?

Pete

 

[Loz]

Have you flattened the battery.
did you remove any fuses and have you definitely put them back in the correct slots?
look for fuse carriers with a metal part on both side, it should have a fuse.

 

[Salty85]

Not sure tbh. I don’t have a tester or multimeter at home but can probably grab one tomorrow.

What is your vehicle battery voltage ?

Pete

 

[Pete C]

In the meantime, you could put the battery on charge overnight if you have a mains charger.

Pete

 

[Salty85]

Have you flattened the battery.
did you remove any fuses and have you definitely put them back in the correct slots?
look for fuse carriers with a metal part on both side, it should have a fuse.

Not sure if I have… will try and test tomorrow. It doesn’t seem like a flat battery tbh. Yes I checked the fuses under the dash and bonnet but took them out one by one and went back in to the correct locations

 

[Salty85]

Would a flattened battery throw all those errors up on the dash though?

 

[Pete C]

Would a flattened battery throw all those errors up on the dash though?

It can do, yes.

Pete

 

[Salty85]

It can do, yes.

Pete

Interesting… thanks for the info. Will try a charger on it tomorrow.

 

[dubber36]

If the battery is low on charge, sensors will get low voltage signals and assume there is a fault. Once the battery is fully charged, a short drive will sort things out. You may still have the warning lights to begin with, but one by one they'll go out.

 

[Salty85]

If the battery is low on charge, sensors will get low voltage signals and assume there is a fault. Once the battery is fully charged, a short drive will sort things out. You may still have the warning lights to begin with, but one by one they'll go out.

Hoping to get a charger onto it tomorrow. Am I right in thinking you can use a smart charger with the battery still on the van?

 

[YellowHound]

Hoping to get a charger onto it tomorrow. Am I right in thinking you can use a smart charger with the battery still on the van?

Yes.
As others have said I think you'll find this is a battery problem - I have seen something identical with my van before I had the battery replaced under warranty.

 

[Salty85]

Thanks for all the help guys. I have just checked the battery with a multimeter and is showing 10.95v which is far too low. I have gone from “oh no what have I done” to “I think I’ve drained the battery” in the last 24 hours so thanks for putting my mind at rest. I will get a charger on tomorrow and cross my fingers

 

[Deaky]

Thanks for all the help guys. I have just checked the battery with a multimeter and is showing 10.95v which is far too low. I have gone from “oh no what have I done” to “I think I’ve drained the battery” in the last 24 hours so thanks for putting my mind at rest. I will get a charger on tomorrow and cross my fingers

Make sure you connect the -ve of the charger to the van body and not the -ve post on the battery.

 

[Salty85]

Make sure you connect the -ve of the charger to the van body and not the -ve post on the battery.

Will do… have just been reading up about this.

 

[Salty85]

An update for you all… battery has been on charge all afternoon (after reading @Dellmassive inmense battery charging thread) and the van has fired up fine. Been round the block and no warning lights. I was so stressed with all the lights coming on I was convinced I’d fried something!! Thanks for all your help guys!